The Americans S01E02: "The Clock"

In this episode, superspies Elizabeth and Phillip Jennings undertake an impossible mission in order to get ears on a meeting between US Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, and her defense secretary John Nott regarding the Strategic Defense Initiative. For that to happen, they will have to attach a bug to the clock in Weinberger's office, hopefully without blowing their cover and sacrificing nearly two decades of residency. Meanwhile, Agent Beeman has a similar strategy: he wishes to convince a woman to work for the FBI as a spy in the Soviet embassy.

Due to the likelihood of this mission going bad, Elizabeth Jennings is forced to look at her own mortality and to examine the consequences for their children should their mission in America go bad. Phillip is much more concerned with the details of the mission while Jennings appears to spend her time worrying about the family, which stands in stark contrast to the events of the first episode where Jennings nearly ratted out her husband for losing his faith in the mission and wanting to live a normal life with their American children. While the pilot episode brought intrigue, the second episode brought depth - both of these people are both Soviets and Americans. Their concerns are divided over two worlds, and they believe that only one of these worlds can win.

With all of this one the line, Phillip is forced to bluff Weinberger's maid into switching out the clock for them with only the threat of her son's death and the threat that there are more of these operatives watching her every move. We see him walk a tight rope, hoping all the while that things will go all right. The thin wall between victory and failure is shown by comparison to Phillip's relationship with his son. Phillip gives young Henry an imperative, and Henry's response is, "Or you'll do what?" What would happen if the maid were to ask the same thing? Would he have to kill her and find some other way into the office?

As I mentioned in my first post for The Americans, the creators have no problem dealing with difficult sexual situations. In the pilot, we see that Phillip is disturbed when his wife has a one night stand with an American government official. But in this episode, Elizabeth is jealous when she sees a picture of the beautiful blonde that Phillip has spent a decent amount of time turning into an asset. Certainly, Elizabeth's extramarital sexual act is hard to deal with, but what of Phillip's repeated infidelity and the fact that he's convinced this woman that he's in love with her? Add to this the fact that the Jennings family is forced to put these under-trained operatives in harms way time and time again with a fairly high mortality rate and you run into some serious moral dilemmas.

Many reviewers ooed and aaed about the pilot of The Americans and complained that the second episode wasn't as good. I'm here to say that both episodes are of the same quality. They tell a fantastic family story balanced with intriguing spy action. The Americans is developing into a robust family story with the potential for several seasons of quality entertainment. If you're not watching it, you're missing out.

I've syndicated this review at Examiner. You can read it here. If you click on it a few times, spend some time there, or navigate to a new page, I might get some money. But I'm only asking that of you if you liked reading the article here and want to show your appreciation.

The Americans S01E01: "Pilot"

The year is 1981. Two Russian spies have been posing as an American couple for a decade and a half complete with a house and two kids at the center of American policy, Washington DC. The Cold War seems everything but cold with the election of Ronald Regan and the difficulties his spy-hunting stance bring for these KGB operatives. Phillip and Elizabeth Jennings speak perfect English, and if rumors are correct they haven't spoken a word of Russian since they met. They also hunt down former Soviets who have turned into informants for American money while also making certain that their daughter has the clothing she needs and their son gets to hockey practice on time.

In the first episode, The Americans delivers some of the best story telling I've encountered since watching The Godfather for the first time. A scene will create a question in the viewer - like, "Why was Elizabeth romancing that Department of Defense guy in the beginning?" - and right when it seems like that scene might have just been a throw-away scene about sacrifice and the spy life it is tied perfectly into the story. Every scene is necessary and plays an important role in the development of the narrative. After the one hour ten minute long pilot has completed I found myself amazed that I not only knew who the five main characters - Phillip, Elizabeth, Paige and Henry Jennings, and Agent Stan Beeman - were, what motivated them and a rough idea of the trajectory of their story arcs, but I also understood a lot about the American and Russian governments and their aims during the time period.

The acting is surprisingly strong. Keri Russell has been a favorite actress of mine for years now. I was never as much of a fan of her during the Felicity days, but when she started taking more adult roles she really showed that she is incredibly professional and very dedicated to the art of acting. But Russell is not the only one who delivers. There is not a single awkward actor in this series, at least not as of episode one. Furthermore, and I think this might be the key to the future success of The Americans, the creative team is brave. Already in the pilot, they tackle some seriously difficult issues of sexuality, from Elizabeth's sexual intelligence sortie and its implications for her relationship with Phillip to a KGB commander who is sanctioned to rape his underlings as part of their training to a brute who believes it is OK to take advantage of under-aged girls to the most difficult topic of all: the balance of duty to country and love of ones family.

Furthermore, if you want to win me over, there are two things you need to do: have a good story and make it a period piece in the 1980s. I was really impressed by the music and how well it was mixed into each scene. I'm not talking cheap, pop tunes that anyone would hear on some BMG "I Love the 80s" disc, although there was a little cheese to the fact that the song "In the Air Tonight" played during an integral sex scene. And who doesn't love a family who cares about hockey. While the Jennings family are proclaimed Washington Capitals fans, I can only imagine the drama that might have unfolded just a year earlier when the American Olympic team had their "Miracle on Ice" which pitted them against the seemingly invincible Russian team in the semi-final game. I'm going to admit that if we don't get a flashback to that game, I'm likely to be a little disappointed.

While the spy family concept has been done to death in such depictions as Mr. and Mrs. Smith, the Undercovers, and True Lies, The Americans stands out because of its incredible delivery. I have to admit that The Americans isn't likely to be my favorite new show in a year where House of Cards hits the scene, but then again, The Americans doesn't have the budget of House of Cards, so the accomplishment that this show marks means a little bit more. Ultimately any doubt I have about the series is overshadowed by hope and intrigue, and I highly recommend this show to anyone with eyes to see and ears to hear, but also to those with disabilities because of closed captions and whatever blind people use to enjoy visual art.

I've syndicated this review at Examiner. You can read it here. If you click on it a few times, spend some time there, or navigate to a new page, I might get some money. But I'm only asking that of you if you liked reading the article here and want to show your appreciation.